bkidenthal



(No Model.) j 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

" H. H.v BRIDENT'HAL.

ROAD ENGINE.

N0. 351,733. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-She et 2.

H. H. BRIDENTHAL'.

ROAD ENGINE.

No. 351,733. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

I liunniln W NVENTOR N, PETERS, PhnmLilm n her. Washington. o e

' UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. BRIDENTHAL, OF LATROBE, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROAD-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,733, dated November 2, 1886.

Application filed April 14, 1886. Serial No. 19 ,855. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. BRIDEN- THAL, of Latrobe, in the county of WVest-moreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Road-Ea gines, of which the. following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to that class of engine used'as aportable motor, and also as a traction or road engine. I

The objects of my improvements are, first, to simplify and to reduce the weight andcost of engines of this kind; second, to provide means whereby the relative speeds of the engine proper and that of the traction-wheels may be varied at will, for the purpose of increas' ing the rotative force applied to the wheels when necessary; and, third, to provide a device whereby to prevent one of the tractionwheels from slipping and racing, through the action of the equational gear, while the opposite traction-wheel stands still; and it consists in connecting the engine proper and the traction-wheels by a gear consisting of a system of vibrating arms or levers carrying adjustable sliding blocks connected by rods with friction orother style of pawls on a ratchet or friction "wheel, and in combination with the equational gear a system of centrifugal stopping-pawls.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my improved engine. The spokes of the left-hand traction-wheel are represented as broken away, to show more-clearly the working parts of the gearing. Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the pairs of systems of levers, pawls, and rods of the gear. The friction or ratchet wheel on the main axle is shown in section. Fig. 3 is a lateral vertical section of the main ratchet-wheel, left traction-wheel hub, and the equational gear with its locking device. arrangement of the centrifugal locking-pawls, the gear being represented as being locked,- while in Fig. 5 the equational gear is shown as free to operate; and Fig. 6 is an elevation of a main ratchet-wheel, showing an arrangement of the equational gear and centrifugal locking device when two intermediate pinions are used in the equational gear. a

Fig. 4 shows in detail the .lower part of the said boiler, as shown, and

are each provided with a vertical slot arranged to receive the springs S and the bear ing-box of the main axle in such a manner that the rear end of the machine will ride on the springs, the main-axle boxes having vertical movement in said slots.

The right-hand traction-wheel is keyed fast upon the main axle R, and receives motion through the right-hand bevel-wheel, F, of the equational gear, which is also keyed fast upon the axle,while the left-hand traction-wheel, O, is connected with the left-hand bevel-wheel, F, by means of a suitable sleeve extending through and having bearing in the bracket H, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

On the main axle R, and between the bevelwheels F F, is hung loose the wheel G,within the web of which is pivoted, in the usual way, one or more intermediate pinions, a, which meshin common with and communicate mo tion to both said bevel-wheels F F, thus form.- ing the ordinary well-known equational gear. On opposite sides of the wheel G are formed pawl-rims or projecting flanges,which are embraced by a stout pair of jaws formed upon the short levers or pawls e e e e, which constitute friction-pawls, and which are inturn connected with the vibrating arms I) b by the sliding blocks d d and the connecting-rods h h. The vibrating arms b b are pivoted to the stud d, bolted to the side of the boiler A,while on their upper ends are formed the levers ff,

which normally project at right angles with relation to each other, and their upper ends are connected, in common with the wrist-pin g of the engine proper, by the connectingrods m 121., thus forming a quadrangle. By

this arrangement the rotation of thecrank K will transmit to the arms h h and the pawls e ICQ e e e a vibratory motion, such that when one arm and pawl is at the middle of its throw the other will be at the extreme or turning point.

The position of the sliding pivot-blocks d d upon the arms I) b is controlled by the lever D J, pivoted to the stud P on the side of the boiler, and connected with said sliding blocks by the connecting-rods n a, as shown. The lever J is held in position by means of a suit able hand-latch engaging with a notched segment, k, bolted to the side of the boiler and within easy reach of the operators seat, as shown. The pallets or pawls c e e c are controlled by the curved springs c c c one end of which is pivoted to suitable studs formed on the said pawls, while the opposite ends are firmly bolted to the rear ends of the rods 6 'i t" i. The forward ends of each pair of rods 6 i are pivoted to the lower ends of the levers 0 o, pivoted. at a point near the middle to a suitable stud located near the middle of the rods a n, as shown.

The upper ends of the levers 0 0' are con nected with the lower end of the lever U by means of a connecting-rod, T. The lever U is pivoted to the lever J, and is held rigid therewith by a hand-latch and a notched segment, E, bolted to said lever J, so that what ever position the lever J may occupy the posit-ion of the pawls e e e 6 will remain the same with relation to the wheel G.

The segment E is provided with three notches, arranged, respectively, so as to bring the pawls e e c e in positions to run the machine forward and backward, and so as not to engage in either direction. As will be seen, the spring-pivot studs of the lower one of each pair of pawls c e are placed between the pivots of the rods h h and the main axle R, while those on the upper pawls are placed above, so that, assuming the lever U to be in the forward notch of the segment E, the top of the upper pawl-levers e 6 will be drawn forward, and thus cause the jaws of the said lever'pawl to grip the annular projecting flange of the wheel G. The grip or hold of leverpawls 0 upon the said flange is further increased by the pull of the respective rods h, while the backward or opposite movement of said rods will, through the yielding of the springs 0, cause thelever-pawls to loosen their hold and ride back on the rollerw. The springpivots on the lower level-pawls being also above the pivots of the rods h, the direction in which the grip occurs will be opposite with relation to those above the axis of the wheel G. Consequently the vibration of the levers b b and pawls c e e 0 will cause a continuous forward rotation of the wheel G, and consequent forward motion of the engine. When the lever U is brought to the middle notch of the segment F, the lever-pawls 6 will also be brought to their middle or vertical position with relation to the axis of G, so that they will ride back and forth on their respective friction-rollers w w without engaging in either direction, while the extreme rear position of the said lever U will cause the lever-pawls to engage with and rotate the wheel G backward, and consequently run the machine backward without reversing the direction of the motion of the engine proper.

It is obviousthat the relative velocity of the traction-wheels with relation to the engine proper will depend upon the position of the blocks d (1 upon the arms b 1); hence on smooth level roads we can move the said blocks down toward the extremity of the arms, and thus run at a high speed withoutincreasing the velocity of the engine proper, saving water and fuel, and when passing over grades or hard spots in the road, or in hauling a heavy load, the blocks may be'raised, thereby increasing the drawing-power of the machine almost indefinitely. Viheu great rotat-ive force is applied to the traction-wheels when pulling on laterally-inclined roads, orwhere there are loose stones on the road,one of the wheels is apt to slip and race, while the opposite wheel stands still. I overcome this difficulty by utilizing the circumstance that when the intermediate pinions of the equational gear perform their legitimate functions,as in equalizing the force communicated to the wheels, and allowing them to rotate at slightly different speeds when running around curves, the motion of.

said pinions about their own axis is very slow, while in case one wheel slips and the other one stops the axial rotation of the intermediate pinions is quite rapid. In order to carry out this project I connect'with the intermediate pinions,u, either rigid,as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, or by means of gearing, as shown in Fig. 6, a disk, 1), to which is pivoted by means of the studs 1" 1* a pair of weighted centrifugal pawls, t t, as shown. These pawls are geared together by means of the toothed sectors 0 c and are so arranged that they will counterbalance each other in whatever position they may be turned. A light spring, y, is provided, which keeps the pawls closed together, as shown in Fig. 5, and is arranged to engage with any one of several sets of pins,o 0" 0",. in the pawls i, so as to provide a ready means of-adjusting the tension of the spring. A suitable horn on the ends of the pawls strikes the pins Z Z in the disk 12, and limits theoutward motion of the said pawls. As shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 5,-the intermediate pinion, a, is hung loose upon a radius-pin in the web of the wheel G, in the usual manner, and one or more stops, 5- i are provided in proper position on said wheel,with which the pawls t engage.

As before mentioned, in ordinary use of the machine, the pinions u onlyrotate about their axis-when running around a curve and their motion slow. The pawls tit will be held in by the spring y, and cannot interfere with the ac tion of the equation-gear. However, in case one traction-wheel slips while the other stops, the consequent rapid rotation of the pinions will cause the centrifugal force generated in the weighted pawls to overcome the tension of the spring allowing said pawls to spread out' and engage with the stops i thus locking the equational gear and causing the tractionwheels to rotate together. Then the resistance to the traction-wheelsbeoomes equalized, as when the machine moves forward, the pawls will be relieved of the pressure upon them. When thus released, they will be closed in by the action of the spring y, allowing the equational gear to operate freely. As will be seen, it matters not which traction-wheel may race or stop, or whether the engine is running back or forward, as the device is'adapted to engage in either direction.

When two intermediate pinions are used in equational gear, I arrange the spur-wheels r 1" either directly upon the pinions a u or keyed fast upon the shafts a a, so as to be rigid with said pinions. One spur-wheel, r, meshes with the pinion s, keyed fast upon the shaft in, which, rotates in suitable bearings formed in the web of the wheel G,and to which shaft is also keyed fast the pawl-disk 12. other spur-whe'ehfi, meshes with the pinion s, carrying the disk 12', and turning loose upon the shaft 00.

On the disk 12 are arranged a pair, of centrifugal pawls, t,which are substantially such as before described, while on the perimeter of the disk 12 is formed one or more studs or projections, t, which project within the path of and engage with the pawls t when said pawls are thrown out. Q

As will be seen, the disks o and o rotate in opposite directions; hence when the pawls t are thrown out the said disks will be locked together, and will hold their respectively-connected pinions in such a manner that the extra strain brought to bear upon the said pinions by reason of their being held fast or locked will 'be' equally distributed between all of said pinions, and thereby reducing the liability of breakage. i

The ratchet flanges or rims of the wheel G may be of steel, and with ratchet-teeth formed on one or both the inner and outer faces thereof, and the faces of the lever-pawls formed to suit, so as to give them a positive hold. The common pawl-and-ratchet gearv could also be used,

herein specified. The i engage with said wheelG in either direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a road-engine, of the crank K, rods m m, levers ff, arms b b, sliding blocks 01 d, rods h h, pawls e e, and the drive-wheel G, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

2. The combination of the vibrating arms I) 12, blocks 1 d, rods h h, pawls e c, rods n a, and the lever D J, substantially as and for the purpose herein described. I

3. In combination with the pawls e e, the rods 5 i, springs c c, levers o 0, and the rods h a, substantially as and for the purposes 4. The combination of the pawls e e, rods 1' i, levers 0 0, rods a n, levers D, J ,'and U,and

the notched arcpiece E, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

5. In combination with the pawls e c and the wheel G, the friction-rollers w w, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

6. The combination of the equational gear, intermediate pinion, a, disk 1), weighted centrifugal pawls t t, spring y, drive-wheel G, and the stops i 17, substantially as andfor the purposes hereinspecified.

7. In combination with the pawls t t and the spring y, the adjustable pins 0 0 substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination of the equational gear F G u, gears r r. spur-pinions s s, shaft or, disks o 'v, and the centrifugal pawls t, substantially in the manner and for the purposes herein specified. y

' 9. The combination of thelever-stud a, axlebracket H, and the brace-rod 71?, substantially as and for the purposes herein specified.

v H. H. BRIDENTHAL.

Witnesses:

I D. W. ULAM,

I. D. PORES. 

